Novel Sources of Β-Glucanase for the Enzymatic Degradation Of
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Enzyme and Microbial Technology 52 (2013) 203–210 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Enzyme and Microbial Technology jou rnal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/emt  ଝ Novel sources of -glucanase for the enzymatic degradation of schizophyllan a a,∗ a a Nongnuch Sutivisedsak , Timothy D. Leathers , Kenneth M. Bischoff , Melinda S. Nunnally , b Stephen W. Peterson a Renewable Product Technology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture 1815 North University Street, Peoria, IL 61604, USA b Bacterial Foodborne Pathogens and Mycology Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture 1815 North University Street, Peoria, IL 61604, USA a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Schizophyllan is a homoglucan produced by the fungus Schizophyllum commune, with a -1,3-linked Received 29 October 2012  backbone and -1,6-linked side chains of single glucose units at every other residue. Schizophyllan is Received in revised form 3 December 2012 commercially produced for pharmaceutical and cosmetics uses. However, surprisingly little information Accepted 4 December 2012 is available on the biodegradation of schizophyllan. Enzymes that attack schizophyllan could be useful for controlled modifications of the polymer for novel applications. Enrichment cultures were used to Keywords: isolate 20 novel fungal strains from soil samples, capable of growing on schizophyllan as a sole carbon -glucanase source. Three additional strains were isolated as contaminants of stored schizophyllan solutions. Strains Hypocrea nigricans  showing the highest levels of -glucanase activity were identified as Penicillium simplicissimum, Penicil- Penicillium simplicissimum lium crustosum, and Hypocrea nigricans. -glucanases also showed activity against the similar -glucans, Penicillium crustosum  Schizophyllum commune laminarin and curdlan. By comparison, commercial -glucanase from Trichoderma longibrachiatum and Schizophyllan laminarinase from Trichoderma sp. showed lower specific activities toward schizophyllan than most of  the novel isolates. -glucanases from P. simplicissimum and H. nigricans exhibited temperature optima of ◦ ◦ 60 C and 50 C against schizophyllan, respectively, with broad pH optima around pH 5.0. Partial purifi-  cations of -glucanase from P. simplicissimum and P. crustosum demonstrated the presence of multiple active endoglucanase species, including a 20–25 kD enzyme from P. simplicissimum. Published by Elsevier Inc. 1. Introduction this assumption. However, surprisingly little information is avail- able on the biodegradation of schizophyllan. S. commune has been Schizophyllan is a polysaccharide produced by Schizophyllum reported to produce endo--1,3-glucanase [5], and Rau [2] pro- commune, a white-rot fungus and ubiquitous mushroom. It is a posed that the organism can consume schizophyllan as a carbon   homoglucan with a -1,3-linked backbone and single -1,6-linked source, contributing to a loss of polysaccharide molecular weight glucose side chains at every other residue [1,2]. Schizophyllan in late cultures. Lo et al. [6] described -glucosidases from S. com- acts as a biological response modifier and a non-specific stimu- mune. Fontaine et al. [7] reported that schizophyllan was slightly lator of the immune system. It is used in vaccines, anti-cancer hydrolyzed by one of two exo--1,3-glucanases associated with the therapies, and as a bioactive cosmetics ingredient. Schizophyl- cell walls of Aspergillus fumigatus. On the other hand, Kanzawa et al. lan can form oxygen-impermeable films for food preservation [3]. [8] found that exo--1,3-glucanase from Bacillus circulans rapidly It also has been tested for use in enhanced petroleum recovery hydrolyzed curdlan and laminarin, but did not attack schizo- [2,4]. phyllan. Tanji et al. [9] reported that schizophyllan was partially As a natural polysaccharide, it can be assumed that schizo- degraded at a very slow rate in rats, to lower molecular weight phyllan is biodegradable, and many of its applications rely on forms of <10,000 that were excreted in urine. It is potentially valu- able to identify enzymes that attack schizophyllan, particularly for use in controlled modifications of the polymer for novel applica- tions. In the current study, 23 novel strains were isolated that were ଝ Mention of any trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely capable of growing on schizophyllan as a sole carbon source. Strains for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommen- showing the highest activities against schizophyllan were identi- dation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal fied, and -glucanase activities were characterized. Results indicate opportunity provider and employer. ∗ that novel fungal isolates are promising sources of schizophyllan- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 309 681 6620; fax: +1 309 681 6040. E-mail address: [email protected] (T.D. Leathers). degrading enzymes. 0141-0229/$ – see front matter. Published by Elsevier Inc. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enzmictec.2012.12.002 204 N. Sutivisedsak et al. / Enzyme and Microbial Technology 52 (2013) 203–210 Table 1 containing 1.0% (w/v) commercial schizophyllan in a 50 mL flask with three 10 mm a ◦ -glucanase activity against schizophyllan produced by newly isolated strains glass beads. Cultures were incubated at 200 rpm for 7 days at 28 C, then centrifuged ×  at 3220 g to produce cell-free culture supernatants. Mycelial pellets were dried at Strain number Isolation sites -glucanase ◦ b 60 C for 48 h. All experiments were carried out in triplicate and standard deviations (near Peoria, Illinois) (U activity/mL) are shown. 1-1 Woodland 0.24 ± 0.02 1-2 0.16 ± 0.03 1-3 0.17 ± 0.03 2.4. Enzyme and protein assays ± 2-1 Prairie grassland 0.005 <0.001 Quantitative -glucanase assays were performed by the dinitrosalicylic acid 2-2 <0.001 (DNS) method [14] as modified by Leathers et al. [15]. Samples (5–20 L) were 2-3 0.003 ± <0.001 incubated in a total volume of 205 L containing 0.5% (w/v) substrate (schizo- 2-4 0.001 ± <0.001  ◦ phyllan or another -glucan) in 50 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 5.0, at 28 C. 3-1 Hayfield/woodland <0.001 Sample dilutions and incubation times were adjusted to ensure results were within 3-2 border <0.001 the linear range of the assays. One unit of enzyme activity is defined as the amount of enzyme necessary to release 1 mole of glucose equivalents per min ± 4-1 Pond shore 0.007 <0.001 under the conditions tested. Schizophyllan (cosmetic grade) was purchased from 4-2 0.001 ± <0.001 European Technologies, Inc., Denver, CO. Other -glucan substrates (laminarin ± 6-1 Clay soil 0.008 <0.001 from Laminaria digitata, paramylon from Euglena gracilis, curdlan from Agrobac-  6-2 0.002 ± <0.001 terium sp. (Alcaligenes faecalis), and barley -glucan) were from Sigma-Aldrich, St. 6-3 0.21 ± 0.05 Louis. Commercial cellulases from Aspergillus niger and T. viride (Cellulysin) were  6-4 0.19 ± 0.01 from Calbiochem (La Jolla, CA). Commercial -glucanases from A. niger, T. lon- gibrachiatum, and Bacillus subtilis, as well as laminarinase from Trichoderma sp., 7-1 Marshland <0.001 were from Sigma–Aldrich. Temperature and pH optima were performed using the 7-2 0.08 ± 0.02 same assay. For studies of pH optima, substrate buffer was titrated to the desired test pH with acetic acid or sodium hydroxide before digestion, then returned to 8-1 Backyard/gardening 0.007 ± <0.001 pH 5 before assays were developed, since the DNS assay is pH sensitive. Enzyme 8-2 area 0.003 ± <0.001 values are the mean of triplicate cultures and are characteristic of repeated exper- 8-3 0.003 ± <0.001 iments. ± 9-1 Laboratory contaminant 0.026 <0.001 Rapid, semi-quantitative -glucanase assays were performed using a solid 9-2 0.032 ± <0.001 medium plate assay. Samples (4 L) were spotted directly onto the surface of freshly 9-3 0.029 ± <0.001 prepared plates containing 0.7% (w/v) Phytagel (Sigma–Aldrich Co., St. Louis) and a 0.05% (w/v) commercial schizophyllan in 50 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 5.0. Strains were isolated from enrichment cultures containing schizophyllan as a Plates were incubated overnight and stained with an aqueous solution of 1 mg Congo sole carbon source. b red/mL for 45 min, then destained with 1.0 M NaCl for 30 min. Enzyme activity was Pure cultures were grown for 7 days in basal medium containing 1.0% schizo- observed as a clear zone. Laminarinase from Trichoderma sp. was used as a positive phyllan as a sole carbon source. control. Extracellular protein was estimated by the Bradford method [16], with bovine serum albumin as the standard. 2. Methods 2.1. Isolation of novel schizophyllan-degrading strains 2.5. Enzyme purification by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) Soil samples from the area of Peoria, Illinois were serially diluted according to Leathers et al. [10]. Specifically, 2.0 g of soil was diluted into 198 mL of sterile 0.2% Enzyme samples were purified using a fast protein liquid chromatography sys- agar in distilled water (water agar). This was shaken vigorously, and then 10 mL was tem (Biologic Duoflow, Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA). Cell-free culture supernatants were transferred to 90 mL of water agar and mixed well. One milliliter of this suspension applied to a 5.0 mL High Q anion exchange column (Bio-Rad) equilibrated in 50 mM was then transferred into 9 mL of water containing 0.01% Tritron X-100. Aliquots sodium acetate buffer, pH 5.0. Bound protein was eluted with an increasing gradi- (0.1 mL) of these final dilutions were used to inoculate 10 mL enrichment cultures ent of 0.0 to 1.0 M NaCl in the same buffer.